Former Dearborn Man Convicted In Stepdaughter's Slaying
MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ/AP) - A Minnesota man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his 20-year-old stepdaughter last year in Warren.
A Macomb County Circuit Court jury in Mount Clemens deliberated about 30 minutes Friday before reaching its verdict against former Dearborn resident 47-year-old Rahim Alfetlawi.
Jessica Mokdad was shot in the head at point-blank range on April 30, 2011 at her grandmother's home.
Days before her death, Mokdad left her mother and stepfather's home in Minnesota to live with her biological father in Grand Blanc. Alfetlawi then followed his stepdaughter to Michigan to allegedly confront her biological father.
A defense attorney had said Mokdad accidentally was shot during a struggle with Alfetlawi over a gun. They say her biological father was the intended target.
Authorities previously said Alfetlawi was angry because Mokdad left home and wasn't following Islam, but prosecutors say religion is not what led to the shooting.
Mokdad's mother, Wendy Wasinski, said the verdict brings relief for her and justice for her daughter.
"(The trial) was very hard for me to watch but I had to do it because I needed closure. I'm ready to move on with my life," she said.
Alfetlawi faces life in prison without parole when he's sentenced on Nov. 15.
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